AOB: Collaboration with Livestock Innovation Lab. Point from Irmgard. If indeed ILRI and AR are involved in this - then ILRI please to make sure that the livestock agenda is in all the regions (not just ET). Boni to remind the ILRI focal points in any such conversations.
Overall action points
Action
Status
Notes and Actions update
1
Finalise the regional logframes
? We agreed that each project would have an overall logframe
ESA - done IHZ: FURTHER REVISION SUGGESTED BY EXTERNAL REVIEWERS
WA - in progress (target: end Dec) IHZ: NOT DONE
ET - in progress (target: end Dec
PT: better a ToC than a logframe
Need the same across all 3 projects
IHZ: ToC good (maybe has gaps) at program level; but LF better at project level.
BVL: Overall ToC at program level maybe too vague?
? action/discussion points
In June retreat: work on program ToC and reconsider need for logframes
WA and ESA going to have a person (march 2015) ... then a plan; maybe desirable to share approach and learning IHZ: GENDER EXPERT JOINED ON 1 MARCH
? action/discussion points
facilitate the linkages and implementation plans (and indicators) across the sites and and with HT
5
SI framework and indicators
? We need few specific indicators for research project, indicators that we could measure in the short project time. Before the USAID-commissioned external review
? San Jose session and working group the main vehicle to take this agenda forward - leading to a draft framework in March/April 2015 ...
ESA and WA came up with suggestions for sustainability indicators to kick off discussion of appropriateness, measurability, etc. Discussion included MSU, USAID, and WU but did not yield agreement.
Powerpoint summary available for further discussion
Vara from SI innovation lab putting together a small committee to move this quickly forward. This becomes a wider implementable framework beyond AR (that works at the least for AR and SI lab).
San Jose report coming soon - Jerry to circulate
This subject has a session in june retreat; need to have some prep activities.
? action/discussion points
Carlo, IHZ and PT to continue active involvement in the small follow-up committee.
6
Project and program reviews
It was suggested to have internally-commissioned project evaluations Before the USAID-commissioned external program evaluation (planned June 2015)
WA project evaluation took place September to October 2014. IHZ: COMPLETED
ESA project evaluation took place February-March 2015. IHZ: COMPLETED, REPORT UNDER PREP
Ethiopia project evaluation: March-April 2015. PT: REPORT WRITING
After the project reviews are done, we would organize an internal stocktake/prep phase across the program - part of the planned retreat in June.
For USAID external evaluation, October 2015 review teams launched (at the science symposium october), then to Ethiopia, then ESA (march 2016)
Send names of possible reviewers to JG asap.
Discuss results of external reviews at June retreat
7
External reviews - Issues arising
Any issues from the WA / ESA / Ethiopia reviews relevant for the PCT
Better discuss in Washington
Follow up at June retreat
8
Learning and M&E events
Farm Typologies CA - wants to hold a meeting to take this forward (in europe) with WUR. Carlo to lead the typologies followup. Need to link with HT discussions, embed into experimentation, engaging with farmers. BvL keen to join.
? action/discussion points
Work on Farm typologies - Carlo to lead follow up
Agreed after the meeting: 6-8 October in Mali
AR 'scientific symposium' program event (not the regular review and planning) - link to preparing next phase.
co-locate with learning/M&E events
appoint organizing team (icrisat as local organizer); plus science organizing team - kindu, asamoah, mateete, peter, irmgard, sag member (PT to followup)
? action/discussion points
Circulate dates to scientists
Form organizing team at June retreat
We decided to use the ILRI CKAN platform.
Data sharing policy was approved during the Arusha meeting (lNovember 2014).
Policy is already binding for researchers on the ground; also for partners. Are partners mandated to share?
Need to solve the problem of efficient workflow IFPRI-ILRI-outside world through the access and sharing permissions.
Action: Each center to investigate their project contracts and policies for compliance with OA requirements of CGIAR and USAID ...
Action: have each center's legal office check our AR draft guidelines IHZ: DONE BY IITA-PAO
? action/discussion points
Need to ensure that country data are contributed How do we get all the data submitted Next ESA review and planning meeting Follow up in washington - make space for this
USAID Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task
Status
Notes for PCT review
Links with BMGF and other funders
Jerry in contact with various Gates staff to explore potential activities.
SI program identified as high priority for joint activities
Discussing links with CRP HT/DFID
Ground up may be more feasible than top down
Funding for scaling up
Various opportunities via USAID missions that we are exploring on a continuing basis.
TZ project a great example / need to work more on other countries, eg Ghana (need to work with IFDC maybe)
Need to find ways to frame and present specific deliverables ...
May be potential with the Australians ... simlesa/simleza ...
All the involved country usaid missions, except maybe ghana, good contacts
Innovation platforms important with local partners
SI Innovation Laboratory
KSU selected - Vara Prasad (vara@ksu.edu)
Main points (already covered above):
External review process
SI indicator process
ESA Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task
Status
Notes for PCT review
2014-2016 workplans and budget
Workplans and budget are with Steering Committee for approval IHZ: WORKPLANS ARE IMPLEMENTED
Technical report to USAID
NEXT REPORT (OCTOBER 14 TO MARCH 15) UNDER PREPARATION
Project document
Will be prepared before review in February (IHZ) IHZ: DONE
IP establishment
R4D platforms in several locations IHZ: 2 IN TANZANIA AND 2 IN MALAWI AT DISTRICT LEVEL OPERATIONAL
New partnerships
USAID Africa Bureau has provided US$ 350k to IITA for contracting MSU to carry out a desk study with Zambian national partners to provide the scientific evidence base for the links between field and farm level SI interventions and climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Project is implemented, inception workshops held. System Dynamics Model developed and introduced to partners during a workshop for feedback. Currently revised. IHZ: PROJECT RECEIVED NO COST EXTENSION UNTIL END OF AUGUST 15.
Concept note to the USAID mission in Tanzania is under preparation for scaling technologies for rice, maize, beans, vegetables, soil fertility (fertilizer), strengthening seed systems, post harvest handling (4.5-5m for 3 years). Project approved ($2,000,000 for year 1). Workplans currently finalized IHZ: SCALING EXPERT EMPLOYED IN FEBRUARY; GIS POSITION RE-ADVERTISED, INTERVIEWS ON 22 APRIL
? action/discussion points Will this project continue beyond August 2015?
External Review
IHZ: COMPLETED IN MARCH, REPORT YET TO BE RECEIVED, BRIEFING NOTES AVAILABLE
IHZ: IN APRIL SCIENTIST FROM WA AND ESA WILL VISIT LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES IN ET
Project document
under preparation, will be ready for the project evaluation
Prepared but needs revision - end of December 2014 IHZ: NOT DONE
2014/15 Workplan implementation
PLANNING OF FIELD ACTIVITIES TO BE CONCLUDED SOON
Technical report to USAID
REPORT FOR PERIOD OCTOBER 14 TO MARCH 15 UNDER PREPARATION
IP establishment
6 DISTRICT LEVEL PLATFORMS IN PLACE IN GHANA AND 2 IN MALI
External review
FINAL REPORT RECEIVED, UPLOADED AND DISSEMINATED, RECOMMENDATIONS UNDER IMPLEMENTATION
Ethiopia Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
ask
Status
Notes for PCT review
Meher season action research
c. 30 research protocols implemented across all sites after participant selection meetings.
New partnerhships
Fertilizer project initial concept note approved, finalising proposal with mission (Ethiopia mission, led by ILRI)
Follow up with BMGF?
Good initial meetings with GAIN around nutrition (dairy and household nutrition; biofortification)
? action/discussion points Fertilizer proposal did not come to fruition. Interesting indications of ground up adoption for scaling of AR initiatives (e.g. S. Tigray Zone / AGP inputs). Facilitated by IPs.
2014-2015 workplan
implementation
? action/discussion points Follow up and new protocols currently being submitted for implementation June 2015. Shift away from survey / diagnostics to on-farm action and scaling.
Technical reports to USAID
October 2014 - March 2015 report in preparation
IP establishment
Training of local facilitators in IP maintenance and comms tools; IPs established at different levels
IPs as potential locus for 'research on scaling'?
Several documents and guidelines produced
? action/discussion points
External review
Took place March/April 2015; report in preparation
? action/discussion points
Planning meeting
Took place early December 2014; Reviewed protocols; focus on scaling and led to draft scaling plan
Monthly CGIAR meetings
Well attended with regular info sharing and reportng
Scaling
Draft scaling plan produced
Initial conversations with local comms partners (video/radio) to explore scaling support
? action/discussion points Evidence already crystallising of "spontaneous" scaling. Two specific research protocols in preparation: 1. Mapping the diffusion of Africa RISING innovations via spontaneous scaling activities. 2. A comparison of campaign based approaches to promote the scaling of AR innovations.
M&E Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task
Status
Notes for PCT review
AR data management protocol
Finalize data management plan by November (for PCT meeting)
Actions: PMMT training in all countries/sites PMMT 2.0 and associated FTF indicators' aggregation (deadline met: October 31)
PMMT update
Done, discussed and approved
Done
Completed
Ongoing
Under discussion
Main point is the data sharing and management - ensure (meta)data is shared
BVL: whose job is it to analyze the data? - the projects all together. Up to each project to do own analysis.
IFPRI needs to alert project scientists that the baseline data is available. send a reminder.
Another main point the evolving IFPRI scope of work in AR
AR baseline surveys (Implementation)
Data sharing
Malawi ARBES published on IFPRI internal platform (Dataverse): Tanzania next
Data cleaning and documentation for Malawi, Tanzania, Mali, Ghana, and Ethiopia
Reports under preparation:
-Ghana and Mali reports to be shared with field research teams by 4/30
-Tanzania under revision
-Malawi and Ethiopia next in the agenda
Actions: Follow up with Zambia and Wageningen team (for SIMLEZA data access); with Thom Jayne (MSU) (for RALS data access)
Completed
Ongoing
Completed
Data cleaning done for MWI, TZA. Data
already shared with many AR researchers
Ongoing
Not yet pursued
Collaborations:
Wageningen team
FAO: Memorandum of Understanding signed
Vital Signs
VS shared documentation on indicators, data use policy, shapefiles for TZ and Ghana
Chief scientist to review VS agricultural intensification thread and select key indicators
IFPRI aligned AR control sites with Vital Signs sites in northern Ghana
But access to VS's household-level data can become a problem
Updated several pages after learning event
All key documents linked from web site
32 updates and posts this year (from all regions)
Extra attention to products presented at HT/Systems conference in March
12000 views this year (9000 same period last year)
Need to go thru and update descriptive info on ESA and WE
Wiki gardening/management
Major work done last year
Increasing use of the wiki
25000 views from 9000 visitors
Documents to CGSPACE
regularly updated
288 documents/products online
19 in 2015
77 in 2014
IITA discussing to join cgspace as its own repository
Use of yammer for internal updating
We are seeing regular posting and reactions
Do we need more systematic/regular internal updates from coordinators?
Photo sharing on flickr
regularly updated
Presentations shared on slideshare
regularly updated
ARISING calendar updating
regularly updated
Photojournalist 2014 Ethiopia
completed- pictures shared on flickr, blogs and photofilm are being edited
Photojournalist 2015 ESA
planning started
Location, dates, ?
PB to follow up urgently
Learning Event 2015
location? dates, link to M&E and to 'science' meeting?
Date : 16 April
Venue: online
Time: 1500-1630 (East Africa time)
PCT page
Participants
Bernard
Boni
Jerry
Irmgard
Peter T
Carlo
Peter B
Agenda
Overall action points
ESA - done IHZ: FURTHER REVISION SUGGESTED BY EXTERNAL REVIEWERS
WA - in progress (target: end Dec) IHZ: NOT DONE
ET - in progress (target: end Dec
PT: better a ToC than a logframe
Need the same across all 3 projects
IHZ: ToC good (maybe has gaps) at program level; but LF better at project level.
BVL: Overall ToC at program level maybe too vague?
In June retreat: work on program ToC and reconsider need for logframes
.
Program retreat and next phase planning (Jun)
ESA review and planning (Jul)
? do we need something program wide around ways we engage farmers? Include in program framework revision
Discuss October symposium planning at June retreat
Honoraria and stipends proposals accepted; PT to follow up wth SAG chair HERE
Peter T to follow up with SAG
Ethiopia has person and implementation plan
WA and ESA going to have a person (march 2015) ... then a plan; maybe desirable to share approach and learning IHZ: GENDER EXPERT JOINED ON 1 MARCH
facilitate the linkages and implementation plans (and indicators) across the sites and and with HT
? San Jose session and working group the main vehicle to take this agenda forward - leading to a draft framework in March/April 2015 ...
ESA and WA came up with suggestions for sustainability indicators to kick off discussion of appropriateness, measurability, etc. Discussion included MSU, USAID, and WU but did not yield agreement.
Powerpoint summary available for further discussion
Vara from SI innovation lab putting together a small committee to move this quickly forward. This becomes a wider implementable framework beyond AR (that works at the least for AR and SI lab).
San Jose report coming soon - Jerry to circulate
This subject has a session in june retreat; need to have some prep activities.
Carlo, IHZ and PT to continue active involvement in the small follow-up committee.
WA project evaluation took place September to October 2014. IHZ: COMPLETED
ESA project evaluation took place February-March 2015. IHZ: COMPLETED, REPORT UNDER PREP
Ethiopia project evaluation: March-April 2015. PT: REPORT WRITING
ESA review briefing note
ESA review team PPT
ET review team PPT
After the project reviews are done, we would organize an internal stocktake/prep phase across the program - part of the planned retreat in June.
Send names of possible reviewers to JG asap.
Discuss results of external reviews at June retreat
Better discuss in Washington
CA - wants to hold a meeting to take this forward (in europe) with WUR. Carlo to lead the typologies followup. Need to link with HT discussions, embed into experimentation, engaging with farmers. BvL keen to join.
Work on Farm typologies - Carlo to lead follow up
AR 'scientific symposium' program event (not the regular review and planning) - link to preparing next phase.
co-locate with learning/M&E events
appoint organizing team (icrisat as local organizer); plus science organizing team - kindu, asamoah, mateete, peter, irmgard, sag member (PT to followup)
Circulate dates to scientists
Form organizing team at June retreat
- agenda
- preparations
- logistics
PB to advise on inputs needed
Data sharing policy was approved during the Arusha meeting (lNovember 2014).
Policy is already binding for researchers on the ground; also for partners.
Are partners mandated to share?
Need to solve the problem of efficient workflow IFPRI-ILRI-outside world through the access and sharing permissions.
Action: review final policy? It is accessible on the wiki: http://africarising.wikispaces.com/program_moneval
Action: Each center to investigate their project contracts and policies for compliance with OA requirements of CGIAR and USAID ...
Action: have each center's legal office check our AR draft guidelines IHZ: DONE BY IITA-PAO
Need to ensure that country data are contributed
How do we get all the data submitted
Next ESA review and planning meeting
Follow up in washington - make space for this
USAID Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
SI program identified as high priority for joint activities
Discussing links with CRP HT/DFID
Ground up may be more feasible than top down
TZ project a great example / need to work more on other countries, eg Ghana (need to work with IFDC maybe)
Need to find ways to frame and present specific deliverables ...
May be potential with the Australians ... simlesa/simleza ...
All the involved country usaid missions, except maybe ghana, good contacts
Innovation platforms important with local partners
External review process
SI indicator process
ESA Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Concept note to the USAID mission in Tanzania is under preparation for scaling technologies for rice, maize, beans, vegetables, soil fertility (fertilizer), strengthening seed systems, post harvest handling (4.5-5m for 3 years). Project approved ($2,000,000 for year 1). Workplans currently finalized IHZ: SCALING EXPERT EMPLOYED IN FEBRUARY; GIS POSITION RE-ADVERTISED, INTERVIEWS ON 22 APRIL
Will this project continue beyond August 2015?
http://www.slideshare.net/africa-rising/africa-rising-east-and-southern-africa-review-brief-16-march-2015
WA Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Prepared but needs revision - end of December 2014 IHZ: NOT DONE
Ethiopia Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Follow up with BMGF?
Good initial meetings with GAIN around nutrition (dairy and household nutrition; biofortification)
Fertilizer proposal did not come to fruition.
Interesting indications of ground up adoption for scaling of AR initiatives (e.g. S. Tigray Zone / AGP inputs). Facilitated by IPs.
implementation
Follow up and new protocols currently being submitted for implementation June 2015. Shift away from survey / diagnostics to on-farm action and scaling.
IPs as potential locus for 'research on scaling'?
Several documents and guidelines produced
Initial conversations with local comms partners (video/radio) to explore scaling support
Evidence already crystallising of "spontaneous" scaling. Two specific research protocols in preparation:
1. Mapping the diffusion of Africa RISING innovations via spontaneous scaling activities.
2. A comparison of campaign based approaches to promote the scaling of AR innovations.
M&E Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Finalize data management plan by November (for PCT meeting)
Actions:
PMMT training in all countries/sites
PMMT 2.0 and associated FTF indicators' aggregation (deadline met: October 31)
PMMT update
Done
Completed
Ongoing
Under discussion
BVL: whose job is it to analyze the data? - the projects all together. Up to each project to do own analysis.
IFPRI needs to alert project scientists that the baseline data is available. send a reminder.
Another main point the evolving IFPRI scope of work in AR
Data sharing
Malawi ARBES published on IFPRI internal platform (Dataverse): Tanzania next
Data cleaning and documentation for Malawi, Tanzania, Mali, Ghana, and Ethiopia
Reports under preparation:
-Ghana and Mali reports to be shared with field research teams by 4/30
-Tanzania under revision
-Malawi and Ethiopia next in the agenda
Actions:
Follow up with Zambia and Wageningen team (for SIMLEZA data access); with Thom Jayne (MSU)
(for RALS data access)
Ongoing
Completed
Data cleaning done for MWI, TZA. Data
already shared with many AR researchers
Ongoing
Not yet pursued
Wageningen team
FAO: Memorandum of Understanding signed
Vital Signs
VS shared documentation on indicators, data use policy, shapefiles for TZ and Ghana
Biosight/IAMM (water, land, ecosystem integration)
Done, Ongoing
Done
Done, data collection on 278 plots
completed, analysis ongoing
Ongoing collaboration
Talks b/n IFPRI Finance and IITA/IWMI for WA and ESA M&E coordinators (positions)
SRA/Data Manager position filled
WA canceled for lack of funds
Completed, SRA onboard
Comms Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Ethiopia site brochures: DONE
cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/27623
All key documents linked from web site
32 updates and posts this year (from all regions)
Extra attention to products presented at HT/Systems conference in March
12000 views this year (9000 same period last year)
Increasing use of the wiki
25000 views from 9000 visitors
288 documents/products online
19 in 2015
77 in 2014
IITA discussing to join cgspace as its own repository
PB to follow up urgently